Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestler. And is currently signed to WWE, He consistently wrestled for WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1988 until his first retirement in 1998, due to injury. He appeared in non-wrestling roles from 1998 to 2000, and resumed his in-ring career in 2002, retiring in 2010. Hickenbottom began his wrestling career with Mid-South Wrestling, now known as Universal Wrestling Federation, and American Wrestling Association (AWA). During his time with AWA, he performed in partnership with Marty Jannetty, as The Midnight Rockers; winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice. Hickenbottom and Jannetty briefly signed with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1987, while in contract with AWA. They returned to AWA, only to go back to the WWF in 1988. Hickenbottom later worked as a singles performer, taking on a new persona of "The Heartbreak Kid" and, first as a villain and later as a fan favorite, moved into the main event sphere. He wielded considerable influence on booking decisions as the leader of The Kliq, a backstage group, which however fell apart in 1996. The following year, he teamed up with Hunter Hearst Hemsley, who often was referred to as Triple H (HHH), Chyna, and Rick Rude to form D-Generation X (DX). This group of wrestlers was known for their sophomoric crude humor. That same year, Hickenbottom took part in one of the most controversial matches in wrestling history, dubbed as the "Montreal Screwjob." After a back injury forced him to retire following his WWF Championship loss at WrestleMania XIV, Hickenbottom opened a wrestling academy, called The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy, in which he trained upcoming wrestlers. He made his in-ring return at SummerSlam in 2002. WWE said of Michaels, "In an industry where hyperbole is the norm, there may not be enough ways to describe the greatness of Shawn Michaels. He is considered by many of his peers to be the most talented performer to ever set foot inside a ring." Among other accolades, Hickenbottom is a four-time world champion: a three-time WWF Champion and a former World Heavyweight Champion. He was also the winner of the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles and was the company's first Grand Slam Champion. He has also won the PWI Match of the Year Award a record eleven times. Hickenbottom currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children. Early life Hickenbottom was born on July 22, 1965 in Chandler, Arizona. The last of four children – Randy, Scott, and Shari are his older siblings – he was raised in a military family and spent a brief part of his early years in Reading, Berkshire, England, but grew up in San Antonio, Texas. As a child, Hickenbottom disliked the name Michael, so his family and friends just called him Shawn. Ever since, he has been referred to as Shawn. Additionally, Hickenbottom moved around frequently since his father was in the military. He knew he wanted to become a professional wrestler at the age of twelve. Hickenbottom was already an athlete; his career began at the age of six when he started playing football. He was a stand-out linebacker at Randolph High School and eventually became captain of the football team. After graduating, Hickenbottom attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, but soon realized that college life was not for him. He then began pursuing a career in professional wrestling. Professional wrestling career AWA and WWF (1984-1988) World Wrestling Federation (1988-2000) Return to World Werstling Entertainment (2002-Present) Personal life Hickenbottom's marriage to his first wife, Theresa Wood, was brief and ended in divorce, but was amicably settled. He is now married to former WCW Nitro Girl Rebecca Hickenbottom (née Curci), who went by the stage name of Whisper. They were married on March 31, 1999 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada in a small ceremony. The only people present were the couple and an Elvis impersonator. The couple have a son, Cameron Kade (born on January 15, 2000) and a daughter, Cheyenne Michelle (born on August 19, 2004 ). His cousin Matt Bentley is also a professional wrestler having wrestled in TNA and WWE. Hickenbottom has several tattoos. He has a tattoo of a heart with a sword through it, that has a snake around it in the shape of an "S." He has one on his wedding finger, that has an R'' for his wife Rebecca. Another in his left wrist, is a bracelet design that says "Cameron" for his son and "Cheyenne" for his daughter. On his left leg he has a picture of his wife, the other leg has a picture of the state of Texas. Finally, he has a small broken heart with the letters "HBK" above it, tattooed on his right hip. In 1996, Hickenbottom posed in a non-nude layout for Playgirl magazine. It was not until after he posed that he discovered that ''Playgirl has a mostly homosexual readership, which was seen as humorous by his fellow wrestlers. He is ambidextrous, which caused him problems as a boy playing football, as he had trouble differentiating between his right and left directions. He uses his right hand to draw and color and his left hand to write. He typically uses his right leg when performing Sweet Chin Music, but has been known to use either arm when performing his signature elbow drop. Hickenbottom is a fan of the San Antonio Spurs. He has been seen wearing Spurs merchandise and attending Spurs games. Hickenbottom is a born again Christian. He was raised as a Roman Catholic, but became a non-denominational Christian under the influence of his wife Rebecca. His ring attire often incorporated cross symbols, and while on the way to the ring, he would normally get down on his knees and mouth a prayer while his pyrotechnics went off. He has been seen in the congregation during a televised service of John Hagee's Cornerstone Church in his hometown of San Antonio, where he is also a Bible teacher. He also appeared on a Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) program along with fellow professional wrestler Sting. In wrestling *''' Finishing moves''' **Modified figure four leglock – was used rarely after 2008 **''Sweet Chin Music'' (Superkick, with theatrics) **''Teardrop Suplex'' (Leg hook Saito suplex) – 1992–1993 *'Signature moves' **Arm trap crossface - 2007–2010 **Backhand chop **Belly to back suplex **Diving elbow drop, with theatrics **Dropkick **Figure-four leglock **Flying forearm smash followed by a kip-up **Inverted atomic drop **Moonsault, sometimes while springboarding to the outside **Skin the cat **Slingshot crossbody *'Stables and Tag Teams' **The Rockers **Two Dudes with Attitude **The Kliq **D-Generation X **The Corporation *'Managers' **Diesel **Jose Lothario **Sensational Sherri **Sycho Sid **Rick Rude **Luna Vachon **Triple H *'Nicknames' **"The Heartbreak Kid (HBK)" **"Sexy Boy" **"The Showstopper" **"The Most Honored Champion In WWE History" **"The Headliner" **"The Main Event" **"The Icon" **"Mr. WrestleMania" **"The Best Of The Best" *'Entrance themes' **"Sexy Boy" by Sensational Sherri, Jim Johnston, Jimmy Hart and J.J. Maguire (February 15, 1992–January 30, 1993) **"Sexy Boy" by Shawn Michaels, Jim Johnston, Jimmy Hart and J.J. Maguire **"Break It Down" by The DX Band (Used while a member of D-Generation X) Championships and accomplishments *'American Wrestling Association' **AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Marty Jannetty *'Central States Wrestling' **NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Marty Jannetty *'Continental Wrestling Association' **AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Marty Jannetty *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' **PWI Match of the Year (1993) vs. Marty Jannetty on Monday Night Raw on May 17 **PWI Match of the Year (1994) vs. Razor Ramon in a Ladder match at WrestleMania X **PWI Match of the Year (1995) vs. Diesel at WrestleMania XI **PWI Match of the Year (1996) vs. Bret Hart in an Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII **PWI Match of the Year (2004) vs. Chris Benoit and Triple H at WrestleMania XX **PWI Match of the Year (2005) vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21 **PWI Match of the Year (2006) vs. Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 22 **PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1995, 1996) **PWI ranked him #'1' of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1996 **PWI ranked him #'10' of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 **PWI ranked him #'33' of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Marty Jannetty in 2003 *'Texas All-Star Wrestling' **TASW Texas Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Paul Diamond *'Texas Wrestling Alliance' **TWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment' **WWF Championship (4 times) **World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **WWF European Championship (1 time) **WWF Intercontinental Championship (3 times) **WWF/E World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Diesel (2), Steve Austin (1), Triple H (1) **WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with X-Pac (1) **Royal Rumble (1995, 1996) **Fourth Triple Crown Champion **First Grand Slam Champion **Slammy Award for Best Slammin' Jammin' Entrance (1996) **Slammy Award for Best Threads (1996) **Slammy Award for Squared Circle Shocker (1996) Won for collapsing; Owen Hart accepts the award for making Michaels collapse **Slammy Award for Master of Mat Mechanics (1996) **Slammy Award for Match of the Year (1996) vs. Razor Ramon in a Ladder match at SummerSlam **Slammy Award for Leader of the New Generation (1996) **Slammy Award for Best Finisher (1997) **Slammy Award for Match of the Year (1997) vs. Bret Hart in an Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII ^''' In October 1990, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty defeated The Hart Foundation for the title. Despite winning the match, the win and reign are not recognized by WWE, as the ring ropes broke and the match was not aired on television. As a result, Michaels is only officially recognized as a 4-time World Tag Team Champion. *'''Wrestling Observer Newsletter **5 Star Match (1994) vs. Razor Ramon in a Ladder match at WrestleMania X. **5 Star Match (1997) vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell at Badd Blood. **Best Babyface (1996) **Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Triple H and Chris Benoit **Match of the Year (1994) vs. Razor Ramon in a Ladder match at WrestleMania X **Most Charismatic (1995, 1996) **Tag Team of the Year (1989) with Marty Jannetty as The Rockers **Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)